Cross River gorillas caught on tape in Cameroon

May 11, 2012

Rare footage of critically endangered gorillas was captured in Cameroon recently, and the World Conservation Society (WCS) posted the video on YouTube for the world to see. The two-minute video shows eight Cross River gorillas, a rare and elusive subspecies of the Western gorilla, in their natural habitat. Conservationists guess there are fewer than 300 Cross River gorillas in the world, according to ABC News.

"The video represents the best images to date of Cross River gorillas, normally shy animals that flee at the slightest hint of human presence," Christopher Jameson, director of WCS's Takamanda Mone Landscape Project, told The Telegraph. "The footage provides us with our first tantalizing glimpses of Cross River gorillas behaving normally in their environment. A person can study these animals for years and never even catch a glimpse of the gorillas, much less anything like this."

The Cameroon government established Takamanda National Park in 2008 to help protect these endangered apes. ABC News indicates the gorillas are threatened mainly by hunting and loss of habitat.

Those who want to find out more about the gorilla sighting can make calls to Cameroon to get the latest updates from their friends.